Current-motor.



C. S. DONBY.

CURRENT MOTOR. rum-r1011 FILED APR. 5, 1910. nnnnwnn 1120.22, 1910.

984;,2 66. Patented Feb. 14,1911.

ami/Memes Gym/6e6- alley attorneys.

THE NORRIS Ps'rsna to, WAJNINGION. n c.

TINTTED STATES PATENT ()FFTCE.

CHARLES S. DONEY, OF CCLUMBIA. FALLS, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOCHARLES H. FOOT, OF KALISPELL, MONTANA, AND ONE-THIRD 'IO GEORGE D.\VATT,

OF COLUMBIA FALLS, MONTANA.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. let, 1911.

Application filed April 5, 1910, Serial No. 553,602. Renewed December22, 1910. Serial No. 598,822.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ciuinais b. Dower, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbia Falls, in the county of Flathead and State ofitlontana, have invented certain new and usetul Im n'ovcments inCurrent- Motors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in currentmotors and the object of my invention is to utilize the currents Offrivers and streams for the purpose of producing power which may beutilized in any desired way.

\Vith this object in view my invention consists in certainconstructions, combinations and arrangement of parts, the preferred termof which will be lirst described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and then the invention particularly pointed out: in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein the same part is designated by thesame reference numeral wherever it occurs: Figure 1 is a perspectiveview showing one form of my invention in position on a stream; Fig. 2 isa side view of the boat or pontoon; and Fig. 3 is a section, taken online I, 23 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

l, 1 designate a pair ot piers, one constructed on each side of thestream and projecting into the stream so that an eddy is termed behindeach pier. In the form shown, these piers also carry the operatingmechanism.

designates a cable which extends from the top of one of the piers to thetop of the other, and on this cable runs a traveler (3, the travelerbeing in the t'orm ot' a block 7, on the top of which are mounted a pairof pulleys S, which run on the cable 9 is a boat structure of anydesirable 't'orm, preferably and as shown, the samebeing lat-bottomedand squ:n'eended, with the bow 10 inclined. I have also shown this boatas being decked over by the deck 11, making the same water-tight.Extending downward from this boat or scow are the plates 12, which, inthe Form of my invention shown, are secured to the sides of the scow.The number and location (it these plates may be varied, as desired.

13 designates a cable which is secured at one end of the traveler (3 andat the other end to an eye 11 mounted in the center of the boat or seow.The cable 13 passes beneath a U-shaped iron 15 mounted on the bow at theboat or scow to limit the angle which the boat can be turned to thedircction o't' current of the stream.

In the construction so tar described, it will be seen that when the boator scow is turned at: an angle to the flow of the stream that the impactof the water upon the plates .12 will cause the seow to move across thestream, the direction of movement being toward the side 01 the stream,to ward which the bow points; as for example, in Fig. l. the current atthe water on flowing in the direction indicated by the arrow It). willcause the scow to move in direction of the arrow 17. It' now the scow isturned so as to point toward the opposite bank from that toward which itpoints in Fig. 1, then the scow will. under the influence of thecurrent. move in a direction opposite the arrow 1?. In order to utilizethis movement; ot' the scziw under the influence of the current and tocause the angle thereof to be automatically changed as the scow reacheseach bank ol the stream. I provide a pair oti eyes 18 on the sides ofthe scow to which are connected the ends of a cable 15), the cablerunning over a pair of pulleys 20 on the underside of the traveler block7, the cable then running around a pulley 21 on one of the piers amt on,a pair of pulleys 92, 22, on the other pier from which it passes aroundthe pulley 21 of" an air compressor or the like indicated at 25.

Preferably, and as shown, I provide a pair of springs or other form ofbutter 26, one on each side of the bank extending over the eddy formedby each of the piers 4, which butters are in position to be struck bythe forward portion of the scow as it swings into the eddy.

The operation of my motor is as follows: Supposing the scow is movingtoward the left-hand bank. as shown in Fig. 1, it will continue to movein this direction until it passes into the eddy formed behind thelettuhand abutmcnts t and strikes the butter 26. As the scow movesacross the stream. it will cause the cable 19 to travel in the directionof the arrows and consequently drive the pulley 24: of the aircompressor or other engine. This driving movement will cause a pull tobe exerted upon the eye 18 on the upstream side of the scow and hold thescow angularly to the stream, the amount of such angular movement beinglimited by the cable 13 and the iron 15. When the scow passes into theeddy or dead water, and strikes the spring bufier 26, it will start thescow to turn and to point its bow toward the opposite shore. Thisturning is then completed by the momentum of the flywheel 2-1, which, asit continues to rotate, will give slack to the cable connected to theupstream side of the scow and pull on the cable from the downstream sideof the scow. This pulling and consequent turning of the scow will causethe bow to project out of the eddy or dead water and as soon as thecurrent strikes one of the plates 12, it will cause the scow to completeits turning movement and assume a position opposite that shown in Fig.1, or pointing toward the righthand shore. The current will now forcethe scow across the stream when the operation just described will berepeated.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spiritof my invention, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to thespecific form shown and described.

\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a current motor, the combination 7 with apair of abutments, onelocated on each side oi a stream, a cable extending between theabutments, a traveler mounted on the cable, a scow, a second cableconnecting the scow to the traveler, a pulley to be driven, and a thirdcable having its ends connected to the scow and running over the drivenpulley.

2. In a current motor, the combination with a pair of abutments, onelocated on each side of a stream, a cable extending between theabutments, a traveler mounted on the cable, a scow, a second cableconnecting the scow to the traveler, a pulley to be driven, pulleysmounted on the abutment, a third cable having its ends connected to thescow and running over the pulleys on the abutments, and also passingaround the driven pulley.

In testimony whereof I a'l'lix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLIE? S. DQNEY. Witnesses FnANoIs M. PHELPS, F. L. Bnownvn.

